The discovery of the woman floating just off the public swimming area set off a frantic and frightening scene at the beach, filled with parents enjoying the summer day with their children.

Michelle Boyce, 46, a retired nurse from Beacon Falls who was at the beach, said a body was spotted at 12:30 p.m.

"We saw a body floating about 30 feet out from the little beach area," Boyce said. "She didn't come from the beach, she had come from the water."

Lifeguards at the beach then jumped into the water to rescue what they originally thought was a drowning victim.

"Lifeguards saw what appeared to be seaweed out in the water but they couldn't tell. They then looked in their binoculars and saw it was a body," said Pat Patusky, superintendent for the Stratford Recreation Department, who manages the lifeguards. "That's when they went on their surfboard and brought the body to shore."

Boyce said the woman was fully clothed with short blond hair and appeared to be in her early 50s. A full response team was quickly on scene trying to revive the woman but those attempts were useless as she appeared bloated and pale.

"I'm a retired nurse of 25 years. I could tell she was dead for the last 24 hours," said Boyce. "She was in the water for a while."

The woman was already deceased when lifeguards pulled her out of the water, according to Patusky.

"The lifeguards did a good job. They were professional," said Boyce.

She was later transported by ambulance to Bridgeport Hospital and pronounced dead about 1 p.m., officials said.

The woman was later transported to the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death. Officials indicated it did not appear the woman drowned while swimming at the beach, which has been staffed with lifeguards for the summer since June 15.

Alexis Ripolls, 17, from Danbury, at the beach for a company outing, corroborated Boyce's account.

"We just got here when it happened," she said. "We saw a body on the beach as they were trying to resuscitate her. It looked like she had been in the water for a long time."

Ripolls said a small crowd formed after the body was discovered.

As EMS worked to revive the woman, parents tried to shield their children from the scene, Boyce said.

Firefighters, police, and rescue personnel were on scene, and a Stratford fire boat keep the water closed for up three hours, Boyce said.

A man who answered the door at an address listed for Golda declined to speak with a reporter Friday evening.

"We are saddened by this news," Melillo said in an email Friday evening. "Amy was a valued employee for the district and we will support her family and the community to the best of our ability. Amy was an excellent administrator who always put children first. Our condolences go out to the Golda family at this time."